Florida will now play host to Donald Trump‘s attempts to keep his political and business empires going, with almost every member of the family decamping there along with some notable Republican operatives.
Trump fled for Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday morning, choosing not to go to Joe Biden‘s inauguration ceremony in a snub the likes which hasn’t been seen since the 1800s.
He and Melania disembarked Air Force One beaming, and they were in high spirits as they arrived at their home while fans cheered them on outside.
They won’t be lonely in the sunshine state.
Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle are also expected to move there permanently and have been looking at properties in Jupiter, which is 20 miles to the north of Palm Beach. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are making Miami – which is 70 miles to the south – their base.
The couple have signed a year-long lease on a penthouse ocean apartment while they wait for their home to be built on Indian Creek, an exclusive island community.
Even Tiffany Trump – who this week got engaged – is rumored to be moving to Miami. It remains unconfirmed but likely that Eric Trump and his wife Lara will move from their Westchester home.
Peter Thiel, a tech tycoon who advised Trump on his list of pardons to include Anthony Levandowski, has also recently purchased property in Florida.
Almost all of the Trumps have now decamped to Florida – where the President won the election by 51 percent – and where they are expected to carry on with their political ambitions
Donald and Melania Trump arrive in Florida on Air Force One after leaving Washington DC while Joe Biden was inaugurated on Wednesday
There are other heavy-hitters with properties already there.
Thomas Barrack, a long-time Trump advisor, has moved his company Colony Capital’s headquarters from California to Boca Raton.
According to sources, Barrack has been putting pressure on Republicans to put in place a mechanism that will fund Ivanka Trump’s campaign if she decides to challenge Senator Marco Rubio.
‘He’s calling people and trying to line them up saying Rubio is terrible, worthless, he’s probably going to lose, Ivanka is going to go there and we should all get together and pledge our support to her and get her to run,’ a GOP fundraiser told Politico recently.
Barrack’s reps denied the claims.
Lara Trump is also rumored to be eyeing a seat in North Carolina, her home state, and is taking it ‘seriously’.
‘It’s real and she is legitimately interested in it,’ a source said. Donald Trump Jr. is also reported to be considering a political run, but it’s unclear where.
Ivanka’s potential run is the most talked about.
Jason Miller, senior adviser to Trump, said: ‘Ivanka only got into politics to help her father and help his agenda but what’s now clear is that Ivanka is a political powerhouse in her own right.’
Ivanka Trump is eyeing a seat in Florida, according to insiders, and Donald Trump Jr. is also planning a run for office but it’s unclear where
Tiffany Trump and her new fiance Michael Boulus on Wednesday. They are also said to be eyeing property in Miami. Lara and Eric Trump have not moved to Florida. She is reportedly eyeing a seat in North Carolina
Tech tycoon Peter Thiel and businessman Tom Barrack – who are both advisers to Trump – have moved to Florida
She has not publicly confirmed any interest in running for office.
According to one unnamed source, Jared Kushner is now doing everything in his power to protect her chances.
Trump has reportedly discussed forming a new political party called the Patriot Party after telling supporters the ‘movement we started is just beginning’ in his farewell address to the nation.
The outgoing president is said to have spoken with aides about the idea, The Wall Street Journal first reported. It is not known how serious he is in going ahead with the idea.
Trump on Tuesday vowed to be a continued presence on the political stage, noting his ‘movement’ is ‘only just beginning.
‘Now, as I prepare to hand power over to a new administration at Noon on Wednesday, I want you to know that the movement we started is only just beginning,’ he said.
As he made his way out of DC, he told supporters gathered at Joint Base Andrews that he’d be back ‘in some form’.
Supporters of President Donald Trump cheer for the president in his final moments as POTUS. Supporters gathered along the path to Trump’s Mar a Lago club on Palm Beach
Supporters of President Donald Trump, Jennifer Aiello, left, Ron Raven dance as they wait for the motorcade on the road to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Palm Beach estate, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021